1. Field
The present invention relates to the field of wireless data services. More particularly, the present invention relates to a novel and improved method and system for efficiently re-synchronizing a Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) link over a Um interface between a wireless communication device (MT2) and a Base Station/Mobile Switching Center (BS/MSC) or Radio Network (RN).
2. Background
Internetworking, i.e., the connection of individual Local Area Networks (LANs), has rapidly become very popular. The infrastructure and associated protocols commonly referred to as the “Internet” have become well known and widely used. A well-known protocol for providing access to the Internet is the Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) which provides a standard method for transporting multi-protocol datagrams over point-to-point and is further described in Request for Comment (RFC) 1661, Network Working Group, published July 1994, herein incorporated by reference.
PPP includes three main components:
1. A method of encapsulating multi-protocol datagrams;
2. A Link Control Protocol (LCP) for establishing, configuring, and testing a data link connection; and
3. A family of Network Control Protocols (NCPs) for establishing and configuring different network-layer protocols.
When a wireless communication device (MT2) is in connected state with the same Interworking Function (IWF) or Packet Data Serving Node (PDSN), normally there would be no need for PPP renegotiation. However, because the wireless communication device (MT2) is mobile, the wireless communication device (MT2) may move to an area that is served by a new IWF or PDSN. When this happens, the LCP and IPCP links need to be renegotiated over the Um interface. Examining every PPP packet that passes through the MT2, to determine whether PPP option renegotiation is required on the Um interface, may be CPU intensive, especially at high data rates. Because PPP negotiation for the Rm and Um interfaces are independent, PPP renegotiation need only occur on the Um interface.
There is therefore a need in the art for efficient PPP renegotiation that examines only selective PPP packets to determine whether PPP re-synchronization on the Um interface is required.